Tessera

etaylorc

@etaylorc.bsky.social

The delight is in the finding out. Inveterate traveler, incorrigible animal rescuer, English teacher by trade. Mostly lurking/liking here. All photos by me unless otherwise stated.

846 Posts1169 Follower 1747 Folgt

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 2d ago

Shallow, rippling, glass-clear water, at low tide. There's probably a hermit crab living in that shell - they were in all the tiny shells. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekEforEphemeral #TidesOutTuesday (available as a 1000 piece puzzle, if you want to keep someone quiet for a while)

The photo is of a single bright orange snail shell under shallow water, on an undulating sand bottom. The shell is the type that is very long thin rather than the more common rounder ones. The water is rippling and catching the light, creating an intricate pattern as it plays off the surface and the sandy bottom.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 3d ago

Clouds of the moment. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekEforEphemeral #BlueSkyMonday

The photo is of different kinds of clouds against a clear blue sky, from wisps to cotton ball-like. The sun is still rising here, with the sun coming up on the right. This means that the sky is darker blue on the left, fading into a pale blue on the right.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 4d ago

Darkness begins to fall over the edges of the ancient water town of Fenghuang, China. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekDforDark #Stunday

The photo is of a river with buildings lining both sides and a bridge with buildings on it crossing the water. The roofs are a classical Chinese shape, with upward curving edges. It is dusk, so almost all the buildings and their reflections are in deep shadow. The edges of a small boat are visible on the right side, along with trees. The sky is somewhat cloudy, and the water has ripples.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 7d ago

Darkness under Istanbul - one of the cisterns under the city. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekDforDark #UrbanGaze

The photo is of two rows of columns with an arched brick roof and horizontal support rods. The columns in the foreground are almost all in shadow; about midway to the end, the columns are illuminated from the base. The columns and roof are reflected in shallow water (the cisterns were there as water storage for the city).

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 7d ago

Interior in western China, not sure exactly where. I remember it was unbearably hot outside, but it was cool in this darkness. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekDforDark

The photo is of inside a mostly dark room, lit from a window on the right and a small lamp hung behind a screen in the top middle. In the middle of the room is an elevated platform with a dark red carpet with a floral design. On top of that is a short table, covered by a patterned cloth in shades of yellows and browns. On top are some clay jars and a tea cup, as well as a pile of what looks like twisted spaghetti (but is actually something fried. The platform and table are the only things in the room well lit from the window. The wall on the left has a dark wood screen accent covering almost the entire light-colored wall. The back wall as what appears to also be a screen with a patterned cloth hanging behind it, possibly closing off an alcove behind it.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 2w ago

Harris does curves in chiaroscuro for #caturday. (I have a replacement segment for his tree, just need to find time to dis- and reassemble the thing.) #AlphabetChallenge #WeekCforCurves #cats #rescue #adoptdontshop

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 2w ago

Vines curve around a tree in a rainforest in Bali's central hills. I can't unsee a man in a helmet-beard-thing. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekCforCurves #ForestFriday

The photo is a close up of a large tree trunk with dense forest behind it. There is a large knot at the top, facing left. Vines curve around the trunk, from the top right towards the bottom left, covering about three quarters of the width of the photo. Everything is covered in moss and other small living things. The weather is somewhat overcast, making the colors all greens and browns, with little harsh light or dark.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 2w ago

Exterior of the Central Market in Phnom Penh, with large #curves created out of angled art deco details. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekCforCurves #UrbanGaze

The photo is of a large domed building, framed symmetrically against a blue sky with some clouds. The sun is strong and clear, so the shadows are sharp. The shape of the dome is created by layers of rectangular yellow segments, with smooth white spaces of the actual domed roof between them. Below this are two covered pavilions leading into the building, with the center covered by a light blue metal lattice that looks like a fan from this angle.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 2w ago

Looking up through a chandelier at part of the dome and ceiling of the Hagia Sofia, Istanbul. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekCforCurves

The photo appears to be a chaotic jumble of shapes and colors. It is a view looking up into the very tall space of a huge dome, from just inside a shorter hallway. Immediately above me is a huge round iron chandelier with rings to hold candles, above that is part of the dome, including arched windows. Parts of the hallway are painted in intricate designs, in golds and blues. The dome is also painted, primarily in golds. At the very top of the dome is intricate Arabic calligraphy.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 2w ago

Sneaking in this morning's sunrise for #stunday. For scale, the buildings at the bottom are 25-30 stories tall.

The photo is of a sunrise where the clouds are all on fire. At the very bottom is a cluster of tall buildings.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 3w ago

Happy #caturday from #rescue baby Finnegan! He's in a cage because I have five adult dogs and two adult cats here, and he's tiny. It's quite large, but hopefully he's out soon - talking to several potential adopters this week. #adoptdontshop

The photo is a closeup of an orange tabby kitten lying on a cardboard scratch pad, inside a white wire cage. He is backlit, so he is surrounded by a soft halo. Some of the bars are reflected in his wide, slightly green eyes, as am I.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 3w ago

Some of the oldest colonial headstones in the US seen from behind, making a different kind of #scape. Pretty sure this is in the Granary Burying Ground (1660s), definitely in Boston. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekBforBehind

The photo is of many rows of very old stone headstones in a very old cemetery. The photo is taken from a low angle, so the spaces between rows is hidden, leaving the frame full almost entirely of headstones. There are shadows from patchy sun, trees, and the angles of the stones. The stones vary in color, ad they are nearly all askew at different angles, but most of them have the same basic shape: a tall and wide central arch with shorter and very narrow sides. The backs of these headstones are left rough, and many are also broken. Between the stones is short, mostly brown grass with a few bits of weeds.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 3w ago

Behind the scenes of a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Shanghai, peeking through the glass door from the alley around back one early morning. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekBforBehind #UrbanGaze

The photo is looking through slightly blurry glass doors into a narrow restaurant kitchen before it opens and before the lights are on, casting most of it in darkness. On the left side is a line of industrial refrigerators and shelves of supplies. In the middle are shelves and workspaces, including a chopping block, plastic collinders and bins, ceramic dishes, and various bottles of sauce and jars of spices. The right side is mostly hidden by a shelf at the front with a plastic bin with metal bowls in it. In the background on the right there is a bit of cooking surface visible.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 3w ago

Behind a brave family standing in front of the precariously-balanced Krishna's Butterball, in Mahabilipuram, India. For scale, those tiny figures under it are people and goats. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekBforBehind #TravelMemories #RockinTuesday

The photo is of an enormous, nearly spherical (from this angle) boulder balanced on a rock slope. More than half the photo is blue sky with wispy clouds, with the boulder mostly against the sky. People and goats sit in the shade under the boulder. The rock slope is light brown with sparse low bushes on top, and ends on a flat grassy lawn below. In front of the boulder is a family in brightly colored clothes.

Info on the size from Wikipedia: The boulder is approximately six metres (20 ft) high and five metres (16 ft) wide and weighs around 250 tons. It seems to float and barely stand on a slope on top of a 1.2-meter (4 ft) high plinth which is a naturally eroded hill.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 3w ago

Waiting... No idea whether this fishing boat was still in use. On a beach somewhere around Da Nang, by the impossibly blue water of the South China Sea. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekBforBehind #TravelMemories #BlueSkyMonday

The photo is vertical, of the back of a small, weathered wooden fishing boat in the center. It is a row boat, but there are no oars. It is not painted, except for the very front tip, which is bright red. The top half of the photo is of a strips of dark blue sea with an edge of small breaking waves. The sky above is clear pale blue. The bottom half of the photo is a clean white sand beach. The sun is extremely strong and bright, so the only shadow is directly under the boat.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 3w ago

The Three Graces, two-thirds from behind. In the museum in Side, Türkiye. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekBforBehind #AncientBluesky #TravelMemories

The photo is of statues of three naked figures of women; they are headless and armless, and their legs are broken off about mid-thigh. They are displayed to look like they might have been linking arms, but the two figures at the sides are faced away, while the middle figure is facing the viewer.

The museum space is a restored Roman bath house, with a large arch at the end. Smaller statues and fragments are also visible. The whole interior, including all the statues, are in a warm light.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 4w ago

Nemrut Dağı is one of those places I saw once in a photo and decided to go - made it on a road trip, 2012. Almost didn't make it due to 15 feet of snow on the only road up. Which also meant it felt really and truly #abandoned. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekAforAbandoned #Stunday #Türkiye

The photo is of a rounded mound with several huge stone seated figures in front of it. The heads of the statues on on the ground below. The ground is all browns, with some snow cover. The sky is a spectacular clear blue.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 4w ago

#abandoned and rebuilt over centuries until it was finally destroyed in the 6th-7th century CE - Roman Diana Fortress near Kladovo, Serbia. Now unabandoned again as a historical site, but I don't think it gets a lot of visitors. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekAforAbandoned #RomanFortThursday #Archaeology

The photo is of two huge curved stone walls with a field and square pillars behind them. These walls form the towers of the primary gate to this roman fortress. The walls are wide layers of large rocks and horizontally-placed red bricks. The sky above is bright blue with white clouds.

If I recall, this whole complex was almost entirely buried; I'm not sure how much of these walls are original versus reconstructed.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 4w ago

Fish trap #abandoned on a beach between Da Nang and Hoi An. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekAforAbandoned #TidesOutTuesday

The photo is of water and sand on a beach. Partly sunk into the sand are the remains of the frame and mesh of a fish trap, with sticks and weeds caught in the wires. The trap appears to be rusty and misshapen, and the soft reflection of it appears on the wet sand.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · last mo.

No idea what it is, just have always thought this pic was dorky and funny. It's a large, long-legged, long-necked bird, seen in a bird park in Cape Town. #BirdOfTheDay #Cutie #Birds #BirdPhotography

The photo is looking straight down into an enclosure with mostly grey soil, and a few large green leaves. In the middle, a grey bird looks straight up into the lens. The focus is (unfortunately) on the body more than the face, making its eyes and beak less clear than the intricate pattern of feathers on its body. This makes its face look even more absurd, because since it has a long neck its face looks almost like a mask.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · last mo.

Early stages of #abandonment? Definitely unused and miles from anything else, somewhere between Quebec City and Saguenay. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekAforAbandoned #BlueSkyMonday

The photo is of the short side of a very large, grey and weathered barn standing alone in a small, rough and brown clearing. There are windows that appear intact, so it can't be too-long abandoned. Broken pieces of what used to be a wire fence are visible in places, although partly knocked over and tangled in the long grass. All around the edges of the clearing are smallish pine trees, and in the distance are low mountains with some snow. The sky is a faultless clear blue.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · last mo.

Ages ago I posted a relative of this sculpture, I think with a spigot for a face? I thought they were temporary installations, but apparently not... #AlphabetChallenge #WeekZforZany

The photo is of a sculpture seated on a stone bench in a green park. The sculpture is brightly colored. The legs appear to be a woman's, one red and one blue, crossed at the knee. The upper half is several random shapes and colors, including a pink funnel and a light blue clock arranged around a red and green "spine." The whole thing is topped with a pink fedora-type hat.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · last mo.

Zany is proving to be a difficult. Is it clever? Is it clownish? It only made me think, who are you that you would choose to do this to your car? (Fwiw, it's a Tesla model Y.) #AlphabetChallenge #WeekZforZany #BlueSkyMonday

The photo is of a close up of the side of a car; at the top you can see the passenger windows, at the bottom left is a bit of the wheel well and tire, and door handles and the seam between the front and rear doors is visible. But. The car has been wrapped entirely in advertising for a cutsie character called Dimoo, who looks kind of like the "precious moments" kids of yore. The background is a bright blue sky with fluffy white and purple clouds, and chalk-drawing doodles of what looks like the planet Saturn and clouds. Dimoo himself is wearing green and orange, and is holding what looks like a red prop propeller plane. On his head is what looks like a tan butt with a face - but it might be his hair. There's a lot about the aesthetics of Asia that I really don't understand.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · last mo.

Karst mountains stretching way out yonder. View from atop one at Xingping - felt like standing in the classical Chinese painting. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekYforYonder #Stunday #TravelMemories

The top third of the photo is a cloudy grey sky. Below that is a deep range of very steep hills, mostly covered in green, but with sheer bare rock faces visible. These go to about the middle of the photo, and the layers of these mountains fade into the distance. Roughly the bottom half of the photo is flat, with a horseshoe bend of a river with flat fields filling any land that isn't karst mountain. There are a few pockets of houses along the river, and boats on the river. In the foreground is a large rock and the tops of some trees, showing that I am standing basically on a cliff taking this photo.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · last mo.

#Cloudscape on a Sri Lankan beach. Those specks on the water are the tall sails of boats, way out yonder. Negombo, a resort area on the west coast, circa 2007. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekYforYonder #Scape #TravelMemories

The photo is about three-quarters sky with tall, dramatic clouds in a blue sky. Below that is a thin strip of the green-blue water of the Indian Ocean. Atop that strip are tiny dots in different colors - the sails of traditional catamarans. Below that is a thicker strip of golden sand.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Blue sky reflected in a gently curved exterior of a skyscraper. #BlueSkyArtShow #Curve #Reflections

The photo is of several stories of exterior windows on a large structure. Because the exterior is curved, there are many tall, thin windows slightly angled, making the reflections of the sky and clouds fragmented. Between each floor is a small overhang, making a series of curved lines between the stripes of fragmented sky. In the top right corner a different pattern of curves is visible, in metal.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Sort of a forest? Definitely could get lost if you entered. Houses on wooden stilts along the Mekong River, between Vietnam and Cambodia. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekXforXyloid #ForestFriday #TravelMemories

The photo is of horizontal layers: At the top is a light blue sky with thin clouds. At the bottom is flowing yellowish-brownish water. In the middle is a layer of huts and shacks with corrugated tin walls sitting atop thin poles that are about the height of the huts on top, giving a good indication of how much the river regularly rises.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Side of an old gorengan (snack) push cart in Jakarta. The weather there does a number on #wood. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekXforXyloid #TravelMemories

The photo is a closeup of extremely worn and weathered wooden panels. In the middle in the bottom third is part of a wheel, with thin spokes and rim of blue metal, and a thick black tire.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Tiny moment seen on this misty morning's walk with the pups. For me it goes back and forth between lovely and grotesque - something about the scale is off. But it was also so sweet and quiet and innocent. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekWforWater #Bloomscrolling #Stunday #ECK

The photo is a closeup of a very small yellow rose fully open and covered in water drops, against a background of a white flower pot and some of the plant and soil. The rose petals are edged in orange. The water drops range in size from small dew drops to what seems like disproportionately large for the size of the flower.

etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Seaweed #forest in a murky bay near Danang. As a kid I was nearly drowned by seaweed, so this was as terrifying as any deep dark forest on land. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekWforWater #ForestFriday

The photo is all shades of greens, yellow-greens, and blue-greens, and the image itself appears blurry and unsettled. The bottom third is full of tangled bushy plants growing from the bottom. The top third is the surface of the water from underneath, showing ripples and reflecting the plants.